EQ in Four Questions

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David Caruso, Ph.D., one of the founding fathers of research and practice with regard to Emotional Intelligence, once commented about the plethora of EQ models and assessment tools: “Emotional intelligence is sort of a Rorschach, it means whatever you want it to mean.”  Got a favorite theory? Call it EQ and make sales, because EQ is hot! But those of us who want to help clients achieve sustainable behavior change know that our methods need to have a strong scientific foundation for our work. Otherwise, our efforts become pretty much trial and error. Clients shouldn’t have to pay for expertise without foundation. There are three models of EQ which, in my opinion, have made serious efforts to build adequate theory, which has then been tested by rigorous and extensive research. I usually write about the model measured by the Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0, which defines EQ as a set of…

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Exercises to Build EQ in Your Clients

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One purpose of this blog is to provide coaches methods to help their clients build EQ skills, and thereby help clients be more successful. Since we began this blog thirty-four issues ago, we have explored many ways to do so. Some posts have focused on practical methods, while others have been more theoretical.  You can catch up on any that you missed at Blog – EQ Leader, Inc. You can also find a complete program for building EQ skills in leaders in the EQ Leader Program 2.0 manual. The manual has been used by coaches world-wide since 2006, and was updated and revised in September of 2020. Today’s post will focus on building a specific EQ skill, Emotional Self-Awareness (ESA). The EQL manual contains field tested exercises, used by coaches all over the world, to build each of the sixteen skills that comprise EQ. While each skill is important, ESA…

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For July 4th: A Way To Help Our Communities

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I belong to a local group in my community of Roanoke, Virginia – the Roanoke Civility Project. In response to the toxic divisiveness we see across the country, our mission is to advocate in Roanoke for proven processes required for effective collaboration to solve complex problems. We believe that a renewed expectation for civil discourse in the public square could break the current cycle of polarization and lead to better outcomes. RCP is an all-volunteer organization, 100% grass roots, 100% non-partisan, with no legal structure. I want to encourage readers to consider taking steps in your communities to encourage constructive and civil discourse. Reach out to a diverse set of community leaders who have earned your respect. Show them what we’re doing to see if they would like to engage in efforts to overcome caustic divisiveness. As coaches, you have important skills to contribute to this effort. Our group composed…

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No One Gets Coached Until You Make a Sale

But if you are like most people in the helping professions, you HATE the notion of selling. Well, if you want to have a successful coaching business, you’ll have to get over it. The ideas in this blog post will take most of the pain out of the process. Give yourself, and selling, a chance. Recall from the previous post that selling can be defined as a negotiation process in which you and your client organization agree to “Terms of Engagement” that are mutually agreeable and beneficial. Keep that definition in mind as we work through your sales issues. Attitude: Stop looking down your nose at sales people! (It’s discriminatory at best.) Are there some bad-apple sales people? Sleazy, unethical, greedy, emotionally manipulative? Yes. Are there bad-apple coaches? Sleazy, unethical, greedy, emotionally manipulative? Yes. That said, we need to recognize that both sales and coaching are essential functions in our…

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Building a Successful Coaching Business

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So, you want to be in the coaching business. Excellent! The world needs more coaches. You’ve probably been working at building your coaching chops – reading, taking training, joining professional associations, etc. You’ve been building your SME (subject matter expertise). It’s not enough. Why do 50% of businesses fail within their first five years? it’s not because the owners didn’t have SME. It’s because they didn’t know the business part. Among other things, coaches need to learn to market and sell their services. Remember, no one gets coached until you make a sale! But wait! Most people who like to coach hate marketing, and are terrified of selling. Fortunately, these barriers can be overcome. It just takes some learning, a plan, and perspective. Let’s get that done. We’ll begin by defining marketing and sales: Marketing is simply letting the right people (your target markets) know that your business exists, and…

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Making the Jump

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Let me introduce you to a therapist who is taking my current webinar series Introduction to Workplace Coaching – From Therapist to Coach: Broaden Your Skill Set/Create Options – 4 Sessions – Zur Institute. Let’s call her Anne. Near the end of our second session last Thursday, Anne raised an excellent issue. Like many people who want to build a coaching business, Anne was having trouble envisioning how she could turn the skills and experiences she had spent her career building into something organizations would value and pay for. By raising this issue, she did everyone in our workshop a favor. An American by birth, Anne has spent the last 20+ years living and working in Africa. Her life and professional background have naturally exposed her to many expats who work where she lives. While she didn’t say so specifically, it seemed clear that she had talked with many expat…

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